The Islamic Funds forum to build on a decade of excellence to shape the future success of the Islamic Investments industry

Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Baker, Executive Director of Financial Institutions Supervision at the Central Bank of Bahrain, delivered the inaugural keynote address at the 11th Annual Edition of the World Islamic Funds and Financial Markets (WIFFMC) 

Kingdom of Bahrain, May 18 2015: The global Islamic financial markets community gathered today at the industry’s flagship event in one of the world’s leading Islamic financial hubs, the Kingdom of Bahrain. 200 international industry leaders and key decision-makers representing over 115 international and regional organizations gathered for the 11th annual edition of the World Islamic Funds and Financial Markets (WIFFMC). Convened under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the event included a line-up of more than 25 industry leaders who discussed in detail the current condition of the regional funds and investments industry, as well as growth opportunities.

WIFFMC opened today with a powerful keynote address by Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Baker, Executive Director of Financial Institutions Supervision at the CBB. A seasoned regulatory professional, Mr. Al Baker emphasized the need to build an enabling environment for the Islamic Investments Industry and shared insights on new innovations to leverage opportunities in the Islamic funds and investments industry.

“As with the broader Islamic finance industry, the Islamic funds has grown to become an increasingly substantial segment within the global financial markets and has gained significant interest as a viable and efficient alternative model of financial investment,” Mr. Al Baker said. His remarks echoed the sentiment shared by other market leaders in that the growing awareness and increasing demand for investing as per Shari’ah principles on a global scale have catalyzed industry growth.

Speaking on his optimism, Mr. Al Baker reaffirmed that there are opportunities for more effective and efficient channeling of the significant surplus funds “towards the vast productive investment opportunities within and across various key markets for Islamic finance.”

WIFFMC gathered a high profile assembly that charted a new road map for the dynamic Islamic funds and investments industry. The lineup of speakers included powerhouses such as Sylvain Vieujot (Executive Deputy Chairman, Emirates REIT), Kamran Butt (Managing Director, SEDCO Capital), and Ijlal Ahmed Alvi (CEO, International Financial Market (IIFM) and Dr. Sayd Farook (Head of Islamic Capital Markets, Thomson Reuters) among others.

The WIFFMC Exhibition was held along the sidelines of the conference and showcased the latest products, services and innovations from exhibitors representing leading industry organisations.

Day two of WIFFMC 2015 continues on the 19th of May and will feature high-profile sessions  that include the launch of the 2015 Thomson Reuters Global Islamic Asset Management Outlook Report, as well as panels on IIFM standardization, repositioning the Islamic Capital Markets industry and Shari’ah perspectives, to name but a few.